Hero
by Tanglepelt
Summary: Ben learns a difficult lesson: he can't save everyone. Many factors caused him to want the Omnitrix removed, but this was the breaking point. Rook asks Ben why he wanted to give up being a hero, and gets an unexpected—and unpleasant—answer. -Oneshot- -Dark-


**Hello, readers! I have been a fan of Ben 10 since 2007, but I was too shy to join the fandom until now (not to mention, I didn't even realize there was still a fandom, so it made me very happy to discover it was indeed still around).**

 **This story takes place during Omniverse, since I figured Rook would probably be the best person (er, alien, but whatever) for Ben to tell this story to. (Unfortunately, I have not finished the later seasons of OV, though I have looked up episode synopses and plot developments, so I apologize in advance if anything seems a bit off.)**

 **Just as a warning, the flashback scene gets pretty gory.**

 ***Disclaimer: Ben 10 does not belong to me.***

* * *

Hero

"Why did you want the Omnitrix removed the first time?" Rook's question came out of the blue; Ben nearly choked on his to-go smoothie. And their break from patrol had been going so well until this point, too.

"Ben? Are you all right? Was it something I said?" The Revonnahgander's brow furrowed in confusion. "All I saw in your file was that you apparently wanted to start 'living a normal life' near the end of your eleventh year. But that puzzled me, since, from what I read before—and from what I have observed now—you loved wearing the Omnitrix, and thoroughly enjoyed being a hero. It was a natural part of who you were, and are. I just wondered…"

Finally sensing the awkwardness, Rook let the end of his sentence trail off. "Was it because of, ah, what happened to Feedback?"

Ben said nothing, though after awhile, he set his drink down in the cup holder of the truck and sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Losing Feedback was part of the reason," he finally said, speaking more carefully than he usually did. "Especially since that loss made me very anxious. More than I should have been, at that age." For once, the brunet looked vulnerable. Rook was always hoping that Ben would drop some of the overconfidence, but this wasn't what he had in mind. He had a feeling he wouldn't like the rest of the explanation, and was almost tempted to let his companion know that he could drop the subject, but at the same time, he really did want to know what happened. The latter side won the internal debate, so Rook said nothing, waiting for Ben to continue.

"After that, I still wanted to be a hero. But it was more out of obligation than enjoyment. I just didn't want others to feel the same way I did when Feedback was ripped from me. I wanted to save everyone. Gwen said that it would be impossible, since I was only one person. She was right, of course. Like she always was."

Rook could sense the bitterness in his partner's voice. A strange nervousness pooled in his stomach, and he looked away from Ben, not wanting to embarrass him somehow. And as the brunet continued his story, that odd feeling in Rook's stomach worsened…

* * *

 _Several months after the Malware incident, Max decided it would be a good idea for Ben and Gwen to spend their fall break with him on a mini-roadtrip. Instead of traversing the entire U.S.—which would have been impossible anyway, given the break was only a week—they would be checking out alien activity throughout the state._

 _Of course, Ben and Gwen agreed, though Ben secretly hoped that the aliens they'd most likely run into were the friendly sort. Naturally, when asked, he stated that he wanted to fight, since that was what he normally said. He didn't want Max or Gwen—especially not Gwen—to see his weakness, so he forced his anxiety down in favor of bragging about how he'd take down all his enemies singlehandedly._

 _Everything was going pretty smoothly, with some minor skirmishes here and there that Ben took care of easily, until they stopped at the town of Wharfton. Aptly named after the numerous wharves on the ocean it bordered, it was a quaint little village with many interesting shops—which intrigued Max, while Ben and Gwen would rather go swimming. However, something was making a stir down at one of the factories near the ocean: equipment was being stolen and destroyed, making it impossible for the workers to do their jobs. Since this had been going on for a month, the factory had been shut down, and the employees had been laid off, at least temporarily. There was also a rumor going around that whatever kept wrecking the factory was a huge monster with multiple limbs._

 _As soon as Max heard this story from one of the fishermen, he wanted to check out the factory. All three Tennysons figured that the 'monster' was actually some sort of alien, and that the best way to handle the situation would be to plan a stakeout for the night._

 _After spending hours convincing Max and Gwen that he should handle fighting the 'monster' alone if it showed up, Max drove the Rust Bucket into an open garage in the side of the factory._

 _"Okay," Max began. "Ben, if we see the creature, wear this when you engage it." He handed Ben a small pin, which he attached to his shirt. "It sends off a distress signal to another pin. I'll be wearing one, too. If it gets too much, just press it, and we'll join you as fast as we can. Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it."_

 _Ben nodded, barely paying attention. His stomach felt sick, but he tried to push the nervousness from his mind, instead focusing on the clock in front of him._

 _As the night went on, and nothing showed up, Ben yawned, starting to relax. Just as he was about to ask Max if they could call it a night, a loud stomping sound brought him back to awareness._

 _Without making a sound, Max gestured for Ben to go. Nodding, the brunet tried to look excited for the fight that would most likely take place. As soon as he left the RV, however, he let the smile evaporate. He barely took five steps when he saw exactly what he would be dealing with._

Four Arms. _He shook his head, correcting himself._ No, a Tetramand.

 _As soon as the creature ripped something off the side of the exterior wall, Ben made his move. Scrolling through the assortment of aliens in the Omnitrix, he decided on one, and hoped that the watch would actually agree with his suggestion. After a brief transformation, he exhaled, relieved that he got what he wanted._ Diamondhead. Perfect.

 _"Hey, Ugly!" he called, hoping that his voice sounded intimidating._

 _The Tetramand snarled as he turned, tossing the now-mangled piece of metal at Ben, who dodged it easily._

 _"Leave now, Petrosapien. This doesn't concern you."_

 _"Yeah, but it concerns_ me. _"_

 _Ben whirled around, confused. A human woman—though she looked barely older than a teenager—walked between him and the Tetramand, her expression as cold as ice._

 _"A human?" the Tetramand smirked. "Things just got interesting." He turned his gaze onto the woman, who gripped her flashlight like a weapon._

 _"Get out of here," Ben whispered, hoping Diamondhead's voice could reach the woman. "I can handle this."_

 _"I'm sure you can, hero. I've heard about you." The woman smiled at Ben, who grimaced back. "But first, I want to give_ him _a piece of my mind." She turned to the Tetramand. "Why have you been destroying this factory? I doubt there's any technology advanced enough for whatever you need it for. My father lost his job because of you!"_

 _"It's not for me; it's for my boss. And he pays me good money for it, so I'm not gonna question his reasons." The Tetramand's eyes were cold._

 _"Oh, so you're just a lackey then? That figures, you look like dumb muscle."_

 _Before Ben could jump in front of the woman, the Tetramand swung one of his arms forward, knocking her against the wall._

 _"Hey! Pick on someone your own size!" Now angry, Ben punched his opponent, who tried to hit him back._

 _The two went at it with their fists, neither holding back. Ben forgot how good it felt to let out his frustrations through fighting aliens and he smirked, happy that he seemed to be winning this match._

 _However, he realized he let himself get too overconfident when he was kicked against the wall. Soon, the Tetramand stood over him, ready to strike. Unable to move away in time, Ben braced himself for the inevitable pain when something hit the four-armed alien in the back of the head, knocking him aside. It was the woman, breathing heavily while holding a yield sign like a bat._

 _"Good thing you guys tore this out of the ground," she rasped, trying to smile._

 _That smile was short-lived. Suddenly, the fallen Tetramand sprang forward, and before Ben could take a step, he grabbed the sign and stabbed the end through the woman's stomach, the force of it sending her sprawling to the ground, where she was pinned. Blood bubbled around the metal, though it turned into a pool when it was ripped from her body._

 _"Humans are so weak, aren't they?" The Tetramand shook his head, a ghost of a smile on his face as he tossed the now-bloody sign aside. "Too bad she won't last much longer. I wanted to play with her more."_

 _With a snarl, Ben lunged, catching the larger alien off-guard. "You_ shithead _!" he growled, not caring about the vulgarities he was yelling. In his rage, he didn't give the Tetramand any openings to defend himself. Without thinking, he shifted his arm into a point, and stabbed his opponent through the chest._

 _"That was for her," he whispered, yanking his arm back. With a final kick to the face, the Tetramand fell to the ground, unmoving. When Ben checked his pulse, he realized his opponent was dead._

 _"I killed him," he stated aloud, feeling sick. He sank to the ground, his head spinning. He didn't even realize the Omnitrix had timed out until he heard the woman, who was somehow still alive, gasp._

 _"Hero? You're a kid?" she whispered, her eyes unfocused._

 _Ben dragged himself towards the woman, who was losing too much blood too fast. "I'm sorry," he sobbed, unable to look at her. "Now that I transformed back, I won't be able to take you to a hospital. I'm useless…"_

 _"It's too late for that, now." The woman smiled, though her teeth were stained with blood. "And you're not useless, kid."_

 _"But I let you get hurt!"_

 _"It was my fault for egging that prick on. I'm just glad he's dead, so my dad'll probably get his job back after this place's fixed up."_

 _Her eyes began to close, and her breathing became more labored._

 _"Wait!" Ben yelled. "What's your name?" He wanted to remember this woman always, and a name would help._

 _"Cecily," she whispered. "Cecily Hope. And you?"_

 _"Ben." His voice shook, more tears spilling from his eyes. "Ben Tennyson."_

 _"Ben. Thank you for being with me, now. Remember, you're a hero. Don't tell yourself otherwise."_

 _He waited for her to say something else, but she was still. Gone._

 _Digging his hands into his hair, Ben screamed. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe, and he gasped, feeling like a weight was pressing on his chest. In his panic, he grabbed his shirt. His hand brushed against something cold, though he paid it no attention._

 _He had no idea that Max and Gwen had arrived until he felt his grandfather's arms around him, lifting him up and carrying him._

 _"Grandpa? What happened?" Gwen's shaky voice sounded muffled, to Ben. Max said something in response, possibly a question for Ben, but he was too far gone to hear it. His body feeling like lead, he allowed the blackness creeping at the edge of his vision to overwhelm him…_

* * *

"What happened after that?" Rook felt sick; when he asked Ben the question, he didn't expect _that_ to be the answer.

Ben gripped his smoothie cup so tightly he crushed it. "After Grandpa Max sent a tip to the police about hearing a fight break out near the factory, we left Wharfton. I tried to keep fighting enemy aliens, but it wasn't the same. I couldn't bring myself to use Four Arms, not after a member of his species murdered an innocent woman. It took me years to be able to look at Tetramands without flinching. I didn't even bother trying to go after the Tetramand's boss; at that point, I didn't even care. A few months after the fight at the factory, I asked Grandpa Max to get Azmuth here to remove the Omnitrix. I didn't want it, anymore. It took awhile, but he managed to get it off, though after messing with it some more, he gave it back to me. In case I ever wanted to be a hero again."

"And you did."

"Yes. At first, it was only because Grandpa went missing. But it turns out I missed wearing the watch, being a hero. I needed a break, believe me. Even with the Omnitrix gone, I still had nightmares for awhile. But by the time I put it back on, I was ready. And I wouldn't have it any other way." Ben set the crushed cup back in its holder. "You must think I was weak to give it up before."

Rook shook his head. "You were by no means weak. You were eleven years old when you saw someone get brutally murdered. From what I have researched on humans, you were nowhere near emotional maturation. I am quite surprised you have practically recovered emotionally, to be honest."

"It took a long time. I wish it never happened, and I still get sick thinking about it. But I like to think that this experience, as terrible as it was, made me stronger."

Rook nodded slowly. "I see." After a pause, he turned to Ben. "Did you ever look her up? The woman, I mean."

"No. I didn't think it would be a good idea. I wasn't ready. But now, I think I am."

Rook narrowed his eyes and took his tablet out of his bag and connected to the internet. After getting a nod from Ben, he typed 'Cecily Hope, Wharfton USA' into the search engine. The first thing that popped up was an obituary.

After quickly reading it, Ben took a shaky breath. "She was twenty-three when she died. But the town calls her a hero. Considering what was left at the scene, they thought she killed that Tetramand, somehow. A statue of her was built where she died, as a memorial, calling her the 'monster slayer'." His throat felt tight, and he let the tablet drop onto the seat next to him.

Before he could say anything, he felt arms wrap around him.

"This is what humans do when they want to comfort a friend, yes?" Rook inquired.

"Yeah," Ben answered, when he finally found his voice. "It's called a hug."

"I am sorry I brought up this topic; I can see that even though you have mostly healed, it still brings you pain."

"It's okay." Ben allowed himself to lean into the Revonnahgander's hug.

The two said nothing until Ben saw the time. "We should probably finish our patrol; I know how much you like completing everything on time."

"The patrol can wait. This is more important." Rook tightened his embrace. Surprisingly, he felt another set of arms around him, and realized that Ben was hugging him back.

* * *

 **Umm, yeah. I apologize for the depressing fic, X'D. I was just toying with the idea that Ben wanted the Omntrix removed after a civilian died in front of him, and it evolved into this.**


End file.
